WashU Brown School

06/02/2026

Found a few more gems in the camera roll from our recognition ceremony!

06/01/2026

Kathryn Hauver came to the MSP program with a passion for health policy and experience working in both hospice care and community engagement. The program gave her the tools and skills needed to prepare her for a career in the health policy field.

➡ Learn more about our MSP: https://brownschool.washu.edu/academics/master-of-social-policy/

06/01/2026

Kudos to recent MSW graduate Liz Smith, whose op-ed, written this spring in Dr. Cal Halvorsen’s Social Policies, Services, and Programs in Aging course, was recently published in The Hill.

In the piece, Smith highlights a policy proposal that could strengthen caregivers’ financial security in retirement by providing caregiving credits in Social Security benefit calculations.

Writing an op-ed is a required assignment in the course, and Halvorsen helps students pitch their work for publication. This fall, Smith will begin her PhD studies at the Brown School.

Caregiving has many direct costs — financial, physical and emotional. Yet the most devastating are the costs to our future security. The question is no longer whether we can afford to credit caregi…

05/30/2026

Anderson Kimball came to the MSP program with a background as a sportswriter and a desire to address inequality in Missouri and Illinois public school systems. He leaves with diverse policy skills and hands-on experience working in education policy research.

05/29/2026

Thanks to St. Louis Magazine for this update on CLEAN STL, a project of WashU Public Exchange, an initiative of the Brown School.

St. Louis is no stranger to the dangers of lead exposure, and in the aftermath of the May 16, 2025, tornado, people were worried. What does all that disturbed matter mean for people’s health? That question has sprung a team of academics into action over the past few months, testing soil for lead, ...

05/29/2026

We are proud to recognize our final Distinguished Alumni Award recipient from this year’s Awards of Distinction.

Congratulations to Erdenechimeg Tserendorj (MSW ’02), Executive Director of the Center for Social Work Excellence in Mongolia.

Watch the video to learn more about her journey since the Brown School and the meaningful impact she has made as one of Mongolia’s first professionally trained social workers.

Awards of Distinction 2026: Distinguished Alumni Award: Erdenechimeg Tserendorj, MSW ’02

05/28/2026

Building off a concept from the Brown School's Center for Social Development, the government of Kazakhstan has made three annual savings deposits to millions of children, investing natural resource wealth into future generations.

Under the new policy, every child in the Central Asian nation is receiving an account with assets from natural-resource wealth.

05/28/2026

We are proud to recognize another Distinguished Alumni Award recipient whose leadership and impact continue to inspire.

Congratulations to Catina Callahan O’Leary (MSW ’99, PhD ’07), President and CEO of Health Literacy Media.

Watch the video to learn more about her path to social work and her current role leading the organization’s core activities and shaping its strategic vision to improve public health worldwide through clear, effective, and engaging health communication.

Awards of Distinction 2026: Distinguished Alumni Award: Catina Callahan O’Leary, MSW ’99, PhD ’07

05/27/2026

Holding onto these Class of 2026 memories a little longer.

05/27/2026

After a tornado devastated communities across St. Louis, Tracy Fantini stepped up, spoke out, and supported older adults in need through Housing Options Provided for the Elderly, Inc.